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The world of performing arts is in full swing this summer. Having started on the 19 and ongoing till the 28 of August, DRAMAFEST 2005 is showcasing the latest theatre trends in Malta as expressed in 11 original one-act performed by a series of different groups at the Malta Drama Centre, Maria Regina Junior Lyceum, Blata l-Bajda, under the artistic direction of Josette Ciappara. It is being organized by the Malta Council for Cultural and the Arts, and sponsored by HSBC Bank Malta plc.
 Artistic director Josette Ciappara shares with us a few details of the organisation of the event and her own perspective of this original theatrical collection.
How many years running has Dramafest been taking place now?
It has been taking place for two years under the auspices of The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts.
Have you always been involved in its organisation and artistic direction?
Yes, for the last two years since this festival was launched.
Can you tell us what this involves, and how you select and manage to bring together all the different theatrical groups for such an event?
This involves contacting as many existing local theatrical groups as possible and watching out for new alternative groups. After initial contacts and passing on information about rules and regulations for the festival, the groups forward their proposed pieces and then the selection process begins. This involves reading and monitoring of scripts, meeting the different groups and discussing the presentation of work and eventually selecting the chosen scripts to be performed.
Is your artistic direction individualised according to each and every theatre group, and in what ways can it differ from one group to the other?
Normally, I keep close contact with each group so as to make sure that the festival will offer a wide range of theatre works as can be witnessed by this year’s festival which varies from the classic to contemporary theatre.
Could you give us a list of the performances we can view this year?
Aleateia will be performing Marbut, Curtain Raiser Theatre Troupe – Sin, Du’ – Eva, Faces Theatre Group – Earwigs, imaginarts entertainment productions – Ma l-Ahhar Tokki, Playhouse Theatre Arts Company – Int Guda, Ruben Zahra – VALAQUENTA, Tolkien’s Myth of Creation, Sleepwalkers – Il-Fenek tal-Grixti, Stage Breeze – P&Li…u l-Mummy, theatr@alliance – is-Sur Borg Pathelin, and Urbania – Bang Bang.
And a synopsis of the different stories portrayed? Do all these one-act plays tackle contemporary themes, or are some of them based on classical plays?
1. Marbut’ (Tied Up) by Aleateia deals with a couple about to get married, but the groom is tied up in a dark room. What happened? Aleateia turn to realistic theatre this year as they strip the theatrical experience down to its bare essentials in this mysterious drama.
2. ‘Sin’ by Curtain Raiser Theatre Troupe
The 23-minute performance is based on the word Sin, and what comes out of it from a physical, textual and property point of view. One must understand that the word sin is not only a religious issue but also social and moral. Sound and visual performance of the three individual recalling quotes from Faust, Macbeth and original text into a contemporary interesting high-energy piece.
3. ‘Eva’ by Du`
Eva, takes as a starting point William Shakespeare’s tragedy/history play Anthony and Cleopatra, or, more specifically, the nature of its female title role. By looking at Cleopatra through the eyes of myriads of academics and scholars who speak about her, a confused, divergent and kaleidoscopic puzzle of an interesting woman surfaces from beneath the layers of centuries of musings on this almost mythical woman. What we find is an intricately woven web of a complex woman who was admired as much as she was misunderstood.
4. ‘Earwigs’ by Faces Theatre Group
Earwigs tells the story of the evolution of the universe and the people in it, in symbolic terms. The title is a synonym of ‘Everyman’. The play consists of nine short scenes representing an evolution. Each scene is separated by a short narrative description of the state of the universe at the time of the scene. These scenes are then enfolded within another short play, which has an independent existence as a short piece entitled “WE'RE HERE”.
5. ‘Ma’ l-Ahhar Tokki…’ by imaginarts entertainment productions
‘Ma’ l-Ahhar Tokki…’ focuses on an emotionally shattered couple who live in continuous intimate struggles. The father continually abuses his daughter in the hope of her bearing a ‘son’. He eventually becomes set to put an end to his only daughter as long as the “secret” is obscured and buried from anyone’s earshot in her grave.
6. ‘Int Guda’ by Playhouse Theatre Arts Company
Judas was a free man. He was young, strong and handsome. He loved a young girl and even promised to marry her. However, he left her behind, when Jesus, our Lord, chose him to be one of His followers – one of His chosen twelve, one of His apostles. If Judas was destined to betray Jesus Christ, which eventually he did, then why was he condemned? Jesus preached love and forgiveness. Why should mankind after nearly 2,000 years still press charges against Judas? Are we competent enough to pass judgement and find him guilty?
7. ‘VALAQUENTA’ – Tolkien’s Myth of Creation by Ruben Zahra
A haunting melody from a violin unfolds to sustain elegant movement of body-art and physical action. The body of the actress is covered in musical notes and the choreography is structured around the violinist so that the notes are close enough for the musician to sight the notes in motion.
8. ‘Il-Fenek tal-Grixti’ (Wild Rabbit) by Sleepwalkers
Four personalities meet in the middle of the night on a ‘Bus Stop’. There are no similarities amongst them, both in terms of age and looks. They share their happiness and sorrow and thus they show their weakest and strongest traits. One of them asks what is it that links them together? Is it the past or present time? What does the future hold for them? These are normal human beings. But who is the wild rabbit amongst them?
9. ‘P & Li… u l-Mummy’ by Stage Breeze
This humorous, bubbly and intriguing performance takes off in Malta and ventures into a very far away land. Li, a 25-year-old petite lady, her 27-year-old husband Gorg Puli and their closest friends Simon and Annie are very open-minded. Unexpected circumstances and happenings at times change our attitude and perspective towards life and that’s what happened to Li in this majestic country.
10. ‘Is-Sur Borg Pathelin’ by theatr@lliance
Based on the French Medieval play La Farce de Maître Pathelin. Mr Borg Pathelin is a failed lawyer who wants to maintain his nouveau riche image and therefore decides to play a trick on the textile salesman. He chooses some fine material and asks to pay later. When the salesman goes to collect the money, Mr Borg Pathelin pretends to be mad in his last hours on his deathbed. However, a couple of months later, the salesman sues a farmer and encounters a completely healthy Mr Borg Pathelin in the courtroom. It is the time for revenge…
11. ‘Bang Bang’ by Urbania
Bang Bang consists of a delightful concoction made up of Lady Longstocking, gullible Linda Baker, carrots and a gun. Lady Longstocking is not one to ignore her whims and passions, and is definitely determined to carry out her plan till the end by luring Linda into a fairly indecent proposal.
The themes vary from farce to tragedy, realistic to absurd theatre, work inspired by great writers, devised work resulting from various workshops, and this year we are also seeing the introduction of musical and dance theatre.
How has the world of theatre evolved on the Maltese islands and is it an evolution which gives you satisfaction as an artistic director?
I feel there has been a natural evolution in the world of theatre, especially when considering the amount of performances held throughout the year by various upcoming groups which are experimenting in their own way and coming up with different kinds of approaches. Once these companies are offered some space to present their artistic work, the result is a concoction of theatrical styles which all have their particular relevance in the theatrical field.
Have you found an expansion of opportunities, contacts, other benefits or funds available for the performing arts as yet, as a result of our membership within European Union?
As can be seen from the amount of companies that are participating in various festivals in Europe, I feel that the membership within the European Union has helped out in this respect. Perhaps one needs to exploit this field even more in the coming years. Many theatre lovers are nowadays searching for opportunities to extend their knowledge and experiences locally and abroad working with professional people coming from different schools. Through this exposure they accumulate knowledge, which they eventually apply to their theatrical activities.
What are your plans as an artistic director once the curtain falls for this year’s Dramafest?
Should Dramafest become a regular appointment on our calendars, it would be wise to start working on next year’s festival as from the day after the curtain falls. Perhaps one could also consider giving a theme for the festival and also including foreign companies to share their experience with local companies in what can easily be projected as an international drama festival. This could also include workshop sessions, which will be very beneficial to all companies involved.
Pre-bookings can be made from St James Cavalier, Centre for Creativity, Valletta on Tel 2122 3200 between 10am and 9pm daily. Tickets will also be available at the door of the Malta Drama Centre, on each performance day from 6.30pm onwards.
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